


Changed The Melody (Every Time)

by AlexiaBlackbriar13



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, At like 3am, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Hamarrow, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I mean it's Hamilton, I mean??, Inspired by the Arrow cast singing Hamilton at SDCC 2016, Join me in the trash can, Olicity Kids, Olicity and TA sing Hamilton, Oliver sings, Singing Olicity, Singing Oliver Queen, Singing Team Arrow essentially, Who even knows at this point?, crack??, established olicity, i'm not even sorry, it's angsty, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 04:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7603042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/AlexiaBlackbriar13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or in which Oliver can sing, he can sing <i>well</i>, and he is secretly a massive Hamilton fan (Felicity is too), and knows and sings all the songs (as well as Disney) at strangely appropriate times. (Team Arrow just gets dragged into the mess.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changed The Melody (Every Time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [imusuallyobsessed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imusuallyobsessed/gifts), [ironyruinedmylife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironyruinedmylife/gifts).



> In which I have officially entered the Hamilton trash can. Also, the Arrow cast can SING. I mean, Stephen Amell can sing. WELL. And then at SDCC this year the cast sang You'll Be Back and I... well, this was born. It happened. At like 3am. I'm sorry okay.
> 
> You can blame irony-ruined-my-life for introducing me to Hamilton. Girl, I love you, but at the same time, why would you do this to me oh my god you do not want to see my playlist right now because guess what it's just Hamilton yes sir.
> 
> Oh, and also I'm gifting this to imusuallyobsessed because she's my Hamilton trash buddy. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The title is from Hamilton. All off the song lyrics in here are from Hamilton. I do not own Hamilton. I am not affiliated in any way with the Hamilton Broadway show, or Lin-Manuel Miranda. Please don't sue me. I know this is stupid and people don't do these anymore, but I'm broke okay, I can't get sued by those people.

Oliver didn’t sing. That was something he insisted on to everybody. He didn’t dance, he didn’t paint, but above all, he didn’t sing.

 

Felicity, however, knew the truth.

 

Oliver could sing, and he did sing, and he sang _well._ He had an amazing singing voice. He never sang around other people, or the team; he only ever really sang in front of Felicity, their son, and their daughter.

 

Thomas Robert Queen loved the Lion King. Every night, the two year old would squeal and clap his hands as Oliver put him to bed, requesting The Lion King or for Simba to come and visit. Oliver always started off with They Live In You, before finishing softly with Circle of Life, as Tommy drifted off into slumber. Four-year-old Abigail Laurel Queen adored the Little Mermaid and Tangled. She refused to sleep if Oliver didn’t sing Part of Your World and I See The Light for her, and often enough, she joined in, making it into an adorable duet.

 

So yes, Oliver Queen sang Disney songs. He probably knew the lyrics to more Disney music than any other type of music, which was pretty embarrassing. Felicity caught him humming Go The Distance from Hercules under his breath one night in the Lair, when they were doing research together. Another time he belted out Let It Go from Frozen in the shower. He muttered I’ll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan when training their new Team Arrow recruits, Wildcat and Artemis.

 

The biggest surprise, however, was the fact that Oliver Queen was an honest to god massive Hamilton fan. Felicity didn’t know this at first. She was obsessed with the Broadway soundtrack, listening to it in the car on the way to work and when she went running. The lyrics just touched her heart - she found them so heart-breaking, yet truthful and realistic, telling the story of the reality of a man who had learnt so much from the world, that she couldn’t help but fall in love with the music. It didn’t help that the songs were extremely memorable and enjoyable as well. She had absolutely no idea that Oliver adored Hamilton too, until she managed to somehow walk in on him singing one of the songs whilst baking.

 

He was singing softly, measuring out butter and sugar, yet it was still one of the most beautiful renditions of the song Felicity had ever heard.

_“Love doesn't discriminate_

_between the sinners_

_and the saints,_

_it takes and it takes and it takes_

_and we keep loving anyway.”_

_“We laugh and we cry_

_and we break_

_and we make our mistakes._

_And if there's a reason I'm by her side_

_when so many have tried_

_then I'm willing to wait for it._

_I'm willing to wait for it.”_

 

“You liar.”

 

Oliver jumped almost a foot into the air in surprise, his hand instantly moulding around the pallet knife he was holding as if it was a weapon he was about to throw. He relaxed immediately on seeing it was Felicity, and shot her a sheepish smile at her outraged face.

 

“You _do_ like Hamilton!” she argued, advancing towards him and poking him in the chest. “All those times we listened in the car and you asked me to change the track – I bet you secretly know all the lyrics, don’t you?!”

 

Oliver looked down at the bowl. “The songs are very relatable,” he mumbled.

 

Right, of course. Because Oliver was on about the same brooding level as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, and that was saying something. And considering Hamilton had lost both his parents and then struggled for almost his entire life, dealing with betrayals and heartbreak, of course Oliver would relate to him.

 

Very gently, Felicity began singing back to him, sliding forwards so that she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.

_“I am the one thing in life I can control_

_I am inimitable_

_I am an original_

_I'm not falling behind or running late –“_

 

Oliver turned, cutting her off and insistently pressing his mouth to hers, meeting her in a bruising kiss. She returned it with just as much vigour. Needless to say, that night when the children came home from school and begged Daddy to sing Just Can’t Wait To Be King, the excuse that Daddy was tired and he’d lost his voice had to be used.

 

The next time Felicity heard Oliver sing a Hamilton song, it was just after he had made a mayoral speech at a conference, at which somebody had thrown a smoke bomb before screaming at him. The guy had grabbed Abby by the back of her t-shirt and demanded to know why they should trust Oliver to protect Star City when he couldn’t even protect his family. Afterwards, the media had run a long cover on all the family members and friends Oliver had lost, showing videos of Robert, Moira, Tommy and Laurel. Somebody had even, by some strange means, got their hands on private videos of Abby and Tommy as babies. It was clear to Felicity and the rest of the team that it was simply a ploy by the media to gain viewers and therefore gain money, but it affected Oliver very deeply.

 

When the archer didn’t return home that night, Felicity bundled up Tommy and Abby in their warmer clothes and drove them to the Lair. The fact that both her children were silent throughout the journey, when they usually would be babbling to each other, reflected the tension felt by the entire family. She felt tears burning her eyes as she found her husband sitting alone, curled up in the darkness.

 

“Oliver,” she whispered.

 

He slowly turned to her, and the pain Felicity saw there made her breath stutter. Abby and Tommy pushed past her and ran towards their father, snuggling into his arms and trying to comfort him. The sight of their children making the archer flinch broke Felicity’s heart.

 

“Oliver,” she repeated softly, taking a hesitant step forwards. Carefully kneeling in front of him, she reached out for him, but as soon as he drew back from her touch with a cringe, the blonde pulled away. “Talk me to Oliver. What’s going on inside that head of yours, hun?”

 

Closing his eyes and leaning back, Tommy and Abby wrapped in his arms with their heads resting on his chest, he sang roughly, in a croaky, resigned voice, _“In the eye of a hurricane_

_There is quiet_

_For just a moment_

_A yellow sky.”_

 

“Oliver…”

 

“ _This is the eye of the hurricane, this is the only_

 _Way I can protect my legacy…_ ”

 

Felicity couldn’t help but let out a sob. She fell down beside her husband and children and nuzzled her head underneath Oliver’s chin, taking a note that his skin was freezing cold. She kept holding his hands, only one of her own slipping free to rub their daughter’s back gently.

 

Beginning to sing herself, she responded back soothingly:

_“I don’t pretend to know_

_The challenges you’re facing_

_The worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind_

_But I’m not afraid_

_I know who I married_

_So long as you come home at the end of the day_

_That would be enough.”_

 

This time he sobbed, and let his head fall down onto hers, entire body shaking. The Smoak-Queen family didn’t move from that spot for the rest of the night, remaining in the cold darkness huddled together, offering silent support to each other. Oliver and Felicity refused to let go of each other, even more determined not to release Tommy and Abby from the warmth of their arms. By the time the sun rose once again, the darkness that had been swamping Oliver had vanished, replaced by the passion, love and sheer light of his family.

 

Three weeks later, it was Oliver and Felicity’s tenth wedding anniversary. They arranged an evening at private park grounds for their family and friends, gazebos and large tents being set up, as well as a bouncy castle for the kids. Diggle and Lyla brought the just-turned-thirteen Sara and five-year-old Andy along, Thea and Roy brought three-year-old Lian, and Barry and Iris turned up with their three-month-old baby, so it wasn’t as if Tommy and Abby got bored.

 

Especially since Oliver went up on stage and sang Hakuna Matata for them.

 

“Shit, he can _sing,”_ Roy said, sounding amazed as Oliver went on to complete a section of dialogue in the song, imitating the character voices to the delight of the kids. “How did we not know he could sing?”

 

“I have no idea,” Felicity replied with a smirk. “He sings all the time at home and in the Lair.” She leant in and whispered, as if it was a secret, “He’s a giant musical theatre nerd.” Roy’s stunned face as she strolled away was the most hilarious thing Felicity had ever seen.

 

Roy got them back, however, because later than evening, when the babysitting team shepherded off the kids to take to bed at the Loft and all the adults were getting spectacularly drunk, Roy, Diggle, Cisco and Barry burst into chorus. It was actually surprising, because all of them were quite good singers, Barry especially.

 

 _“I may not live to see our glory,”_ Roy began, voice wobbly due to his drunkenness but nevertheless still very good.

 

 _“I may not live to see our glory,”_ Barry, Dig and Cisco warbled.

 

_“But I will gladly join the fight.”_

 

_“But I will gladly join the fight.”_

 

_“And when our children tell our story.”_

 

_“And when our children tell our story.”_

 

_“They’ll tell the story of tonight.”_

 

Oliver rose from his seat, lifting his scotch glass to the sky. _“Let’s have another round tonight.”_

 

Felicity stood beside him. “ _Let’s have another round tonight,”_ she grinned.

 

The four men cried out back, “ _Let’s have another round tonight!”_

 

 _“Raise a glass to freedom,”_ Diggle continued lowly.

 

_“Something they can never take away_

_No matter what they tell you._

_Raise a glass to all of us.”_

 

 _“Tomorrow there’ll be more of us,”_ Roy and Barry shouted.

 

The entire group, glasses in the air, finished off together:

_“Telling the story of tonight_

_They’ll tell the story of tonight.”_

 

Everybody burst into applause, wolf whistling and cheering. The four men took stumbling bows, clapping each other on the backs and making jeering cheers towards Oliver and Felicity, who both rolled their eyes, the archer’s hand rubbing circle’s on his wife’s lower back.

 

Just as the applause died off, Lance appeared, staggering into view with two more tumblers of whiskey in his hands. He stopped suddenly when everybody turned to him silently.

 

“So what did I miss?” Lance questioned.

 

The hysterical laughter that followed could be heard for miles on end.

 

A month later, and they were singing Hamilton together yet again. The newly renamed Queen Inc. publicity department was forcing the Smoak-Queen family to do a photo shoot.

 

“I hate photo shoots,” Oliver muttered resentfully, as he plastered on a fake smile and carried Abby in an uncomfortable position that made the little girl whine and squirm. “I. _Hate._ Photo shoots.”

 

“Daddy,” Abby complained.

 

“Yes, pumpkin?”

 

“Put me down!” she demanded.

 

“Put me down what, Abigail?”

 

She frowned. “Put me down, please?”

 

“That’s better,” Felicity praised. Tommy was getting fussy on her hip, so she turned to soothe him, whilst still keeping an eye on her husband and daughter.

 

“I would do that, baby, but Mr Nasty Photographer won’t let me.”

 

The photographer, a man by the name of Paul Ellis, who had been shoving the Smoak-Queen family into weird, awkward positions against strange backdrops to take photos of them for the last two years, made a face at Oliver’s expression. It was becoming more of a grimace than a smile.

 

“Come on, Oliver,” he pleaded. “Do you want the public to love you and your family or not?”

 

“If it involves this, then not.”

 

“Oliver –“

 

“We are _not_ friends, _don’t_ call me Oliver,” the archer growled. “And considering what you pressured Felicity and I into doing last year for that god awful Sexiest Couple Alive issue of the Starling Citizen, I think you should watch yourself _very carefully_.”

 

“Look, Queen,” Ellis said. “I know we have our… _estrangements_ , but trust me, for this sort of thing, I’m your man.”

 

Oliver stared at him, but his face slowly grew into an evil smile. Felicity knew exactly what he was thinking of. He shot her a look, obviously asking for permission, and when she nodded in response, the evil grin grew. She sniggered and put a hand to her mouth when Oliver lowered Abby to the floor and took a threatening step forwards.

 

_“You say the price of my love's not a price that you're willing to pay.”_

 

Ellis looked alarmed. “What is this?”

 

_“You cry in your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by_

_Why so sad?_

_Remember we made an arrangement when you went away_

_Now you're making me mad_

_Remember despite our estrangement, I'm your man.”_

 

“Felicity!” Ellis yelped when Oliver got so into his personal space that he was forced to back up into the wall.

 

“Sorry, can’t do anything,” Felicity shrugged, Tommy squealing happily on her hip at the sound of his father’s singing voice. “Once he gets into this song, he won’t stop.”

 

There were also the inappropriate times in which both of them burst into song. Like, for example, when Oliver had just thrown Felicity half naked onto their bed, a deep purring, possessive sound erupting from his chest and a somewhat wild look in his eyes. The kids were staying with their aunt and uncle for the weekend, finally giving Felicity and Oliver some alone time and _boy_ , were they enjoying it.

 

The lyrics popped into Felicity’s head as her husband loomed over her, and she started giggling so hard she could hardly breathe. Oliver cocked his head sideways in confusion, which only made the blonde giggle more.

 

“Felicity,” he said, his voice throaty. “Kind of a weird time to – do you want to stop or -?”

 

“No, no,” Felicity assured him, still giggling. “I just – this situation, the way you threw me onto the bed, it reminded me of –“

 

“ – of?” Oliver interrupted impatiently, obviously wanting to get this conversation over so they could begin.

 

Her eyes sparkled. _“Helpless!_

_Look into your eyes, and the sky’s the limit_

_I’m helpless!_

_Down for the count, and I’m drownin’ in ‘em.”_

 

“You’re singing Hamilton now?” he groaned, falling beside her onto his back as he sighed heavily. “Now?”

 

“Hey Oliver.”

 

He sighed again. “What?”

 

A glint appeared in Felicity’s eyes. “ _I will never be satisfied._ ”

 

“Oh, we’ll see about that.”

 

With another animal-like, territorial growl, their night continued.

 

Years later, when Oliver’s bones became too creaky and it became too much of a risk for both he and Diggle to continue out in the field, Felicity joined them at the Lair’s conference table for a toast to the Green Arrow and Spartan, and their heroic days. Roy, Thea, Lance and the rest of the new team joined them, raising a glass to their leaders in respect and reverence.

 

 _“One last time,”_ Oliver sang softly, as the group dispersed.

_“Relax, have a drink with me_

_One last time_

_Let’s take a break tonight_

_And then we’ll teach them how to say goodbye_

_To say goodbye_

_You and I.”_

 

Felicity crept forwards and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oliver Queen’s going home,” she whispered lovingly, pressing a single kiss to his shoulder blade.

 

“DAD DAD DAD,” both Tommy and Abby screeched, sprinting towards their parents and barrelling into them.

 

Oliver embraced his now ten-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, squeezing Felicity’s hand as they headed towards the elevator. Stepping inside, Oliver turned and surveyed the space in which he and his family, his blood one and his surrogate one, his team, had lived in for the past twenty years. So many memories had been made in the Lair, so many treasured, adored memories that he would never forget for years to come.

 

_“Who lives, who dies…Who tells your story?”_

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave kudos and comment :)


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